FIC IC-VG61

Small form-factor PC from FIC differs a little more from the two solutions described above. Although this is also a “cube” SFF system, the company engineers decided not to follow into their competitors footsteps with the idea of an aluminum case and a pretty unusual front panel. Moreover, FIC IC-VG61 is the only system of the three with its own unique product name: Ice Cube. Well, we will see later on if FIC IC-VG61 really looks like a cubic piece of ice, and now let’s check its official specification:

• Supports Socket478 Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron processors with 533MHz and 400MHz system bus;
• Supports Hyper-Threading technology;
• i845GE ñchipset with ICH4 South Bridge;
• 2 DDR DIMM slots supporting up to 2GB DDR200/DDR266/DDR333 SDRAM;
• AGP 4x slot and 1 PCI slot;
• Integrated graphics core: 256-bit Intel Extreme Graphics;
• 6-channel AC97 sound codec: Realtek ALC 650 with SPDIF In and Out support;
• Integrated IEEE1394 controller from NEC;
• One 3.5" internal bay for ATA/100 hard disk drive, one 3.5" external bay for a standard 1.44MB floppy disk drive, one 5.25" external bay for an external ATA/100 optical drive;
• Integrated 10/100Mbit Ethernet controller: Realtek 8100B;
• 220W power supply unit from Laconic;
• Four USB 2.0 ports (two on the front panel and two on the back panel of the case);
• Two IEEE1394 ports (all on the front panel);
• Dimensions: 200mm (length) x 186mm (height) x 292mm (depth).

As we see, the specifications of FIC IC-VG61 are very similar to those of other systems reviewed here. The solution is based on the same chipset with the integrated graphics core and supports the same Pentium 4 and Celeron processors with 533MHz and 400MHz bus. Just like the rivals, it also supports Hyper-Threading technology. What is different here, it’s another Firewire controller and as a result, fewer IEEE1394 ports, and a different power supply unit. However, the major difference between FIC IC-VG61 and other products is its looks.

Although FIC IC-VG61 is almost of the same size as the systems from Shuttle and Soltek, it looks completely different. The thing is that the front panel of this SFF PC and its back panels are covered with thick transparent Plexiglas, which probably explains why they call it “Ice Cube”. We should also point out that the case of FIC IC-VG61 itself is made of aluminum, which doesn’t matter at all actually, because with the thick plexiglas panels the aluminum thermal capacity as well as its looks do not have any practical value. However, the barebone designers from FIC didn’t feel satisfied by just using plexiglas panels for the case. They also provided the top of their system with a handle made of plastic and plexiglas. Do you often carry your system with you? Frankly speaking I don’t think that this handle is very functional, so it looks more like a design element. But although it makes FIC IC-VG61 look really stylish on the one hand, it will not let you put anything on top of your system, on the other. Therefore, we wouldn’t call this an advantage. Luckily, you can unscrew this handle in no time.